Goodbyes and Hellos

I'm not a big fan of goodbyes. Even though I'm totally ready to be done with the Middlebury program, I'm not really ready to give up my new friends. Like Patrick, the Level 1 student I've been closest with, who has made enormous progress this summer (as in, when he arrived, he didn't know a word of Russian, but now we have real conversations!):

We had a lovely closing ceremony and final banquet, after which most people gave up the language pledge, even though officially we're still on it until lunchtime tomorrow. In many ways, it was such a relief to be able to fully express myself with people here that I didn't mind forgetting all about speaking Russian for a little while (although for much of the night I found myself switching back and forth somewhat indiscriminately). It's nice to finally hear about some of the really intelligent thoughts and ideas people here have that we've been unable to express until now.

Also, minor language frustration: We've spent the whole summer in conversation practice talking about abstract concepts, like the connection between Russian language and the Russian mindset. This is wonderful, interesting information, and a lot of good vocabulary. However, I still don't know how to properly tell someone I got a haircut today. Some of the most day-to-day language is still lacking in my knowledge of Russian. I worry about some of this stuff, because I'm at a level that's too advanced for these kinds of things to come up in class, but they're rare enough in day-to-day language that I'm unlikely to pick them up from conversation. Pooh.

I found out who my host family is today! I'll be living with Galina Anatolievna on the Petrograd Side, near the Sportivnaya metro station. Galina Anatolievna lives alone, but her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter often visit. This will be an interesting contrast to my last host family, which was quite large. I'm hoping that Galina Anatolievna and I get along really well and have lots of opportunities for conversation.

Okay, it's almost 3 AM, I'm going to bed. =) Kerry arrives in about 12 hours. Hooray!